


Browsing History and Fintech

by orphan_account



Category: Original Work
Genre: Friendly heads-up to the writing community, Gen, Nonfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28632930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A run-down of where we are on tech companies and the financial industry working hand in hand to determine your credit score, and why this issue is highly relevant to writers. No matter your political stance, this information applies to you, and you have a right to know.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Browsing History and Fintech

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely not my typical “schtick” on Ao3, but this is an issue that has the potential to affect all of us, so I figured I would go ahead and post it anyway.

# Credit Scores Influenced by Browser History: It’s Closer than You Think

So, there’s been some chatter lately about the financial industry wanting to use our search histories to inform our credit scores. The thing is, this idea isn’t new. It’s been in the works for a few years, at least. An [article](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-digital-footprint-could-provide-a-more-accurate-credit-score-2018-05-03) published about this very concept back in 2018 referenced an experiment run in Germany to determine the accuracy of such a model - and found that the new model only granted about one percent greater degree of certainty in determining a consumer’s ability to make payments. This idea is not about “greater lending opportunities for the unbanked” as tech and financial groups claim. This is about social control. Some of the potential behavioral metrics listed in the article cited not only what type of browser you use, but also the type of device - whether it was an Apple product or an Android, whether or not someone jaywalks (information that could only be obtained from traffic cameras; think about that for a minute), your Amazon purchasing history, and what you say on social media. This is not a way of “leveling the playing field”. This is a way of legally surveilling every single step you take and using it to govern your life. And what people don’t seem to realize is that, to a degree, this is already happening. 

Why should you care? Even if you don’t generally worry about privacy rights - although you should: Remember those jokes about a writer’s search history potentially getting flagged by the authorities? It’s not really a joke anymore. If you think the IMF won‘t turn that data over to police and intelligence agencies, you haven’t been paying attention. Financial institutions already share financial data when it is deemed neccesary. This is the next step.


End file.
